Given knowledge of his current mental state, early-onset Alzheimer's as diagnosed by clinicians, is it not possible that Donald Sterling was similarly afflicted just four months ago when he was taped uttering racist remarks? If true, was he, as a sufferer of mental illness, not then denied equal treatment and due process by the NBA in its banishment proceeding against him? The insanity plea is invoked on a regular basis throughout the land.

Skip Nevell

Los Angeles

::

Donald T. Sterling has gone from shrewd and calculating to absolutely "nuts." Any thoughts that he is trying to force the issue of the sale of the Clippers by Shelly have gone by the wayside as we watch him implode daily in court.

Sol Bialeck

Van Nuys

::

Nil-nil may have described the latest World Cup game. It can also be described to describe Donald Sterling's current level of competence and class.

Because there is no mercy rule in soccer, Germany should have gone for the two-point conversion after scoring a touchdown against hapless Brazil.

Al Sanchez

San Gabriel

::

I don't think Neymar could have scored eight goals.

Rick Henderson

Covina

::

Unbeknownst to them at the time, losing to Germany only 1-0 was the U.S. men's national team's greatest achievement of the tournament, if not all time.

Michael Miyamoto

Mission Viejo

::

Many Americans do not care for soccer because some of the rules seem illogical if not unfair when taken in the context of sports they are used to watching. Imagine the following scenarios in a Lakers-Houston game:

The Lakers score on a fastbreak, but the basket is disallowed because the Rockets failed to get back on defense.

In late-game strategy, Dwight Howard is fouled, but James Harden gets to shoot the foul shots.

The final buzzer goes off with L.A. ahead by a point, but the referee adds two minutes to the game.

The game is still tied after overtime, so five players from each team take turns shooting free throws to determine the winner.

Soccer will become more than a once-every-four-year diversion for American sports fans only when FIFA changes its rules to accommodate their sensibilities. In other words . . . never.

Bennett Beebe

Westwood

::

They should conduct the shootouts before the games, to count only if the teams are still tied after 120 minutes.

That way we would get to see at least one team trying to score instead of spending two hours watching both teams flooding their defensive zones in hopes of winning the lottery after the game.

Bernie Troy

San Luis Obispo

Star power

Of course the Angels only had one player named to the All-Star team — they're boring ("Gall-Stars," July 7).

If you buy into the premise that sports, including baseball, is entertainment, well, the Angels aren't very entertaining to watch. Pujols and Hamilton aren't exactly bon vivants and Trout, although he tries hard in those sandwich commercials, doesn't ooze charisma.

Meanwhile, up the Interstate 5, Puig is flipping bats and gunning runners out at third, Gordon is a holy terror on the basepaths, and Kershaw and Greinke are pitching like a latter-day Koufax and Drysdale.

Maybe the Angels should get a bubble machine of their own.

David H. Crocker

Placentia

::

Baseball fans vote Yasiel Puig in as an All-Star starter in his first full year in the majors. Yet, rather than praising — or simply reporting — this accomplishment, the Times' All-Star story emphasizes only that "not everyone loves Yasiel Puig" (genius observation) because, in the players' vote, he finished fourth behind (only) the reigning league MVP, the current home run and RBI league leader, and the best player on the team with the best record in the league. What amazingly distorted reporting for a hometown paper!

Michael Herman

Los Angeles

::

Is there any truth to the rumor that Time Warner Cable has requested that Fox switch to SportsNet LA when Clayton Kershaw or Dee Gordon enters next week's All-Star game?

Kenny Wolin

Studio City

Sing it proud

I can't tell you how pleased I was to see Bill Plaschke's column on Jeffrey Osborne and our national anthem [July 6]. Osborne has always been a class act and I admire his courage in putting all the singing "divas" in their place and with a challenge to them to sing it with respect. I'm sure he'll get some backlash, but I am so pleased to see him remind them that their singing of our national anthem is not about them, their range, or seeing how they can emote. It's about the history of our country, and it deserves to be sung as it was written. Yes, it's a difficult song, but if you divas can't sing it as it was written, then sit down and shut up.

L.M. Scouten

Los Alamitos

::

There isn't very much that can dampen a day baseball game at Dodger Stadium. That's what I expressed to my friends as we awaited the Dodgers-Indians game on July 2. During the national anthem, I found my opinion change. As I watched Clayton Kershaw and Brian Wilson giggle and talk and Scott Van Slyke do the same with Carlos Triunfel, I thought I was watching first-graders line up for recess. Maybe the Dodgers could hire a decorum coach for the players with all the TV money.

Jim Previte

Highland

Not a close shave

Wow, these bearded ballplayers ["His and Hirsute," July 6] look like Team Taliban — or worse — with their too long baggy pants, all manner of uniform jerseys and caps depending on the whim of marketing new stuff for the fans to buy and the like. As a lifelong Dodgers fan dating to Ebbets Field, I do have to give credit to the hated Yankees for their unchanged classic uniforms and clean-shaven look. The Dodgers are truly living up to their old moniker — bums — at least visually.

Alan Miller

Santiago, Chile

::

It's not just the beards and long hair. It's the mohawked hair, tattoos, uniforms thrown on, repeated errors, sloppy fielding, needing to be rested and coddled. If that's OK with wives and girlfriends, Don Mattingly, the Guggenheim Group, so be it. But let's forget about "the boys of summer," "the boys in blue."

They're being replaced by men down from the mountains, out of the wilderness, tired old men.

World Cup, C.J. Wilson on the mound, or root canal? I'm going with root canal.

David Hawkins

Anaheim Hills

::

The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used.